How the Valentine Lamp was created
A discarded Cockey gas lamp column, a Sugg lantern head, a George V postbox and one inventor who joined them together in the name of love.
Saved on the Hill
The column is a traditional Cockey lamp, made in Frome. It stood in an alcove by 30 Catherine Hill — headless, with a rubbish bin attached. In 1991 the Hill was recobbled and the old lamp post became redundant. Reg Ling arrived as it was being lifted onto a Somerset Works lorry, took it to the Catherine Hill Community Association, and was given leave to restore it.
Gaslight and a posting box
In the workshop he discovered it had once been a gas lamp. British Gas agreed to connect it. Reg ordered a six-pane Westminster lantern from Sugg Lighting and mounted it on the old column. Then Royal Mail in Bath offered a restored George V posting box. That is when the project became the Valentine Lamp.
There’s something romantic about gaslight and post boxes. Gaslight is like moonlight. When I realised that, it became a Valentine lamp. It took over everything.
First lit on Valentine’s Day 1993
Somerset County Council and Frome Town Council helped form Valentine Square around the lamp. It was unveiled on 6 February 1993 with an unveiling ceremony and On the 14 February Reg manually lit it for the first time, and the site was dedicated to Saint Valentine at the first lamplighting ceremony. It has been manually lit every Valentine's Day since.
Still burning
Reg restored the lamp again in 2014. In 2025 it was added to the Somerset Historic Environment Record, and he handed the lamplighting duties to Eddie Young. It is the only working gas street lamp in Somerset, and the only Valentine gas lamp in the world. The Friends of the Frome Valentine Gas Lamp now maintain the lamp and organise the annual ceremony.
The Valentine lamp came together by accident and coincidence. It almost took over me rather than me taking on the lamp.